PATCHAM HIGH SCHOOL

Student

Exam

Handbook

Your A to Z guide of everything you need to know about taking your final

Year 11 Exams at Patcham High School.

This handbook is reviewed and updated annually.

Produced/reviewed by Date of next review

Tracey Richardson October 2021

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A

Absence from Examinations: You must attend all examinations which are allocated to you on your personal timetable. Misreading the timetable will NOT be accepted as a satisfactory explanation for your absence. You will be invoiced if you fail to attend an examination that has been paid for by the school. If you are absent from an examination due to illness, please notify the school as early as possible by telephone on 01273 503908 (this number has an answer phone for out-of-hours messages.) You will be told if you need to provide us with a medical certificate. Access Arrangements: All arrangements with regards to extra time, reader, scribe, rest breaks and the use of a laptop etc. need to go through the Personal Learning department. These concessions must be the students ‘Normal Way of Working’ in class, mock exams and progress tests. No arrangements will be put in place until personal learning department contact the examinations department. Access to Scripts (ATS): Students can request access to their examination scripts from the awarding bodies following the issue of their examination results. However if you are planning on requesting a review of marking, you can not do this beore the review is completed.

Attendance for Examinations: Punctuality is important. Exams begin from 8:30am or 1.30pm. The exact start times will be shown on your Timetable. You must be in the Canteen 15 minutes before the start time. Very late arrivals will not be able to take the exam. Authentication Form: Students must complete and sign an awarding body authentication form and attach it to any non examination assessments produced for their final qualification. Awarding bodies will refuse to mark any work not accompanied by the signed forms.

Awarding Bodies: These are the organisations that provide qualifications for schools and colleges. Patcham uses AQA, Pearson (Edexcel), OCR, RSL and WJEC (Eduqas).

B

Bags: You will be told where to place your bag in the Examination room. You are not allowed to keep them with you at your desk during the exam. Please do not bring valuables with you when you are sitting examinations.

Behaviour in the Examination Room: You must not talk to, attempt to communicate with or disturb other candidates once you have entered the examination room. Once you have entered the examination room, you are not allowed to leave unescorted until the end of the examination, and only when you are given permission to do so by the Invigilators. You will not be allowed to leave an exam early even if you have finished. Should you require any assistance, please raise your hand clearly and wait for an invigilator to come to you. Silence must be maintained throughout your time in the examination room. Please do not write on your examination desk or your candidate identification card. This is vandalism and you will be charged for any damage or removal of graffiti.

Black Pens: Students use Black ink to complete their exam papers because the exam boards scan the answer scripts onto a computer to send to the examiners for marking. Black ink is the only colour their scanners can read. Do not use Blue, Red, Green or Pencil (unless otherwise instructed) to, or your exam paper may not get marked.

C

Calculators: You may use a calculator in your exams unless you are told otherwise.. If you use a calculator a) make sure it works properly; check that the batteries are working properly; b) clear anything stored in it; c) remove any parts such as cases, lids or covers which have printed instructions or formulas; these must be in your bag or on the floor. d) do not bring into the exam room any operating instructions or prepared programs. You are expected to provide your own calculator if you need one: you may not use the calculator functions on mobile phones, and you may not borrow a calculator from another student. Please note that the first GCSE Mathematics paper is a non-calculator examination – do not take a calculator into your examination room for this paper.

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Candidate / Examination Number:

Your candidate number is the four digit number printed on your candidate card which will be on your desk for each exam. You will normally be seated by subject and candidate number order. You must write this number on every examination paper, and any supplementary sheets that you may use.

Centre Number: Our Centre Number is 56165. This will be printed on your candidate card, and must be written on every exam paper, and any supplementary sheets you use in examinations.

Certificates: Certificates will be issued using the Student’s Legal Forename and Surname. Students will be notified of the date that certificates can be collected from school (normally in November). After that date, Certificates can be collected from Reception between 9am-3pm on school days. All certificates must be signed for as they are a legal document. Certificates will not be given to a 3rd party unless written permission from the student is given to the 3rd party. Please note unclaimed certificates will be destroyed by a secure method after holding them for a period of 12 months from the date of issue. You must keep all your certificates safe as they cannot be replaced. Any replacement costs will be at the student’s expense.

Change of Address: It is important that you tell us as a matter of urgency if you move address. Important information about examinations and results may not reach you otherwise.

Change of Name: It is important that you tell us as a matter of urgency if you change your name. Evidence to confirm this must be brought to the Exam Officer at the time (e.g.Passport, Birth Certificate.) Awarding bodies will charge approx. £40 per certificate to change your name on certificates after they have been issued.

Cheating: Students caught cheating or attempting to cheat in examinations – including being in possession of or using a) Mobile telephone b) Smart Watches c) Pagers d) MP3/4 players e) iPods f) Unauthorised aids or notes g) Copying from or communicating with other students – will be reported to the awarding bodies. Even if these items are in your pocket and you have no intention of using them you will still be reported to the awarding body concerned. Penalties include exclusion from school and disqualification from all examinations for up to five Years. See the JCQ “Notice to Candidates”.

Clashes: If you have an examination clash involving different subjects, a detailed letter will be sent to your Parent/Carer well before the exam. If you have a clash involving two or three examinations in the same AM/PM session, you will sit your papers one after the other as long as the total examination time does not exceed three hours. No break will be allowed between the papers, unless to use the toilet. If the total time does exceed three hours, the papers will be split between the morning and afternoon session. If you are in this position, you will have to be supervised between the two sessions and will therefore need to bring a packed lunch and a drink with you.

Clocks: Will be clearly visible in each exam room. Invigilators are not allowed to tell you how long is left until the exam finishes, nor can they give you any warnings that the exam is coming to an end. It is your responsibility to keep an eye on the time. Invigilators will write on the board what time the exam started and what time it will end.

Controlled Assessment / Non Examination Assessment: Tasks or Assignments set by the awarding bodies with defined control levels for each stage. These assessments are done under exam conditions.

Coursework / Non Examination Assessment: Ccoursework may be carried out during the academic year. Deadlines are issued by departments. Speak to your teacher if you have any problems with regards to these deadlines. Awarding bodies will return most coursework during October/November/December the following year. Students wishing to reclaim coursework should apply to their teachers as soon as possible after this date.

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D

Data Protection: All students who have been granted access arrangements must complete and sign this form with Personal Learning department before concessions can be put in place with the awarding bodies.

Dates: Mock exams run in November / December, and then again in February / March each year. You will be advised of the exact dates by your subject teachers, by the Head of Year 11 and in Assembley. GCSEs run from mid May – end of June each year. Dates will be published on the school website. Your must NOT book any holidays during the entire GCSE examination period, including the annual JCQ Contingency Day which is a day specified by JCQ in case any exam is disrupted. This can be any date up to the end of the Summer Term.

Dictionaries: You may not use a dictionary in an exam unless they are specifically permitted by the subject specification or special arrangements have been approved by the awarding bodies. If you think you might be entitled to the use of a dictionary please see the Personal Learning department.

E

Emergencies: You will be told what to do by the invigilators. If you have to be evacuated from the exam room, you must remain in silence as exam conditions are still in place. Further instructions will be issued by members of the Exam Team or SLT depending upon the emergency situation.

End of Examinations: Invigilators will collect your exam papers before you leave the examination room. Absolute silence must be maintained during this time until you are outside the examination room – remember that other examinations may be continuing as you leave. You may not take any examination materials (additional paper, answer booklets, question papers etc.) from any examination room.

Equalities Act 2010: Facilities exist for students with disabilities to access the curriculum and all relevant areas of the School. Patcham School recognises its responsibility to provide equal access to education for all students’ irrespective of disability and confirms its commitment to ensure that no student will be treated less favourably as a result of disability.

Equipment: All students must bring their own equipment to examinations. This includes black pens, pencils, rulers, rubbers and a pencil sharpener. Borrowing from other students is not allowed. JCQ regulations state that a BLACK pen must be used in all examinations. For diagrams, use an HB pencil and a ruler. Gel pens, highlighters, correcting fluids and correcting pens may not be used in any answer booklets. It is your responsibility to provide the equipment required for your examinations and to bring this with you to every exam. If you need to talk to anyone about this please see your tutor/subject teacher/ Head of Year or the Exams Officer.

Examination Briefings: Exam briefings will be held throughout year 11. You should check the school website regularly (School Information / Examinations) for exam related policies, timetables and notices.

Examination Dates: The examination dates are set nationally by the awarding bodies and NOT by the school. These dates can not be changed.

Examinations Office: The Office is behind Reception and is open Monday – Friday from 8.30 am until 3.00pm. Mrs Richardson, our Exams Officer, will be happy to help with any queries that you have during this time.

Examination Regulations: It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the JCQ ‘Warning to Candidates’ and ‘Unauthorised Items’iregulations. A copy of this is at the back of this booklet. A copy of these regulations is available on the Examination section of the school website and will also be displayed outside all examination rooms.

Extra Time: Will only be granted if students have evidence of a learning difficulty or disability. Students can be assessed by the Personal Learning department, who will identify whether there is a need for students to have up to 25% (or in extreme circumstances up to 50% extra time.)

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F

Food and Drink: Food is not allowed into an examination room unless special permission has been given due to a medical condition. You are only allowed to take a clear unlabelled bottle of water into the examination room. Water bottles that are not clear, or have any writing on them are specifically banned. You will not be able to leave the exam room to refill a bottle of water and invigilators cannot leave the exam room to do this for you. Please ensure that you have enough water to last you the whole exam. All other drinks are banned – it must only be water. This is in case you spill your drink over your exam paper.

G

Grade Boundaries: These are not available until after the results are published on Exam Board websites. Teachers will be able to give you information on these after results.

H

Headwear: Only headwear worn for religious beliefs can be left on during the exam. Sports caps, hats, bandanas etc. are not be allowed.

Handwriting: Students are responsible for producing legible handwriting on all of their exam papers and answer booklets. You risk losing marks if an examiner cannot read your handwriting.

I

ldentity: A desk card will be placed on your desk for each exam which has your picture on it and all your examination details. This must remain on your desk so that it is clearly visible to the invigilator who is responsible to the exam boards for confirming each students identity. Do not write on or destroy the card as you will be charged £1 for a new one.

llness: If you are unable to attend an exam due to illness, you must visit your GP or a Hospital and provide medical evidence that you were unwell and unable to attend the exam. Otherwise you may be charged for the exam fee. Medical evidence is required within TWO days of the missed exam. External exams can only be taken at the scheduled examination time, you only have one opportunity to take each exam paper. If you are unwell but manage to attend the exam special consideration can be requested from the exam boards. See Special Consideration. If you feel unwell during the exam you need to remain silent but alert the invigilator and they will help you.

Invigilator: An invigilator is someone who maintains the security of all examinations and ensures that JCQ exam conditions are met. You must follow all instructions and orders given to you by an invigilator.

Internal Appeals Procedure / School Contingency Plan: A copy of the Exams Appeal and Exams Contingency policy is available on the School Website/School Information / Exams.

J

JCQ Joint Council for Qualifications: Represents all the awarding bodies that offer general qualifications. JCQ ensures that learners of all ages and levels of ability have access to qualifications and is responsible for producing administration rules for general qualifications e.g. regulations on access arrangements. All of the regulations published by JCQ that students should be aware of are on the School Website/School Information / Exams page.

JCQ Inspectors: On the spot adhoc inspections are made to all centres during the examinations period to ensure that all centre staff and students are adhering to the general regulations laid down by all awarding bodies.

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K

Know your Exam Team: The school Exam Officer is Mrs Richardson, and her assistant is Mrs Kent. They work in the main office behind reception, and will be happy to help you with any queries you have regarding your exams. Please restrict your visits to break or after school (before 4pm.) Do not leave your lessons to discuss exam queries.

L

Late Arrivals: Any student arriving more than 30 minutes after the exam has started will not be allowed into the examination room. If you arrive after the examination has started but within the first 30 minutes, you may be allowed into the examination room, however you should be aware that full details have to be reported to the awarding bodies, and it is their decision on whether or not they accept your exam script for marking.

Location of Examinations: Seating Plans and Room lists will be displayed on the noticeboard in the corridor opposite Student Services. Lists for the Gym and Hall will also be displayed outside the Canteen. Lists for all other rooms will be displayed on the noticeboard outside the Exam Office. It is essential that you check where each of your exams will take place make sure you arrive with enough time to find the correct room before the exam starts.

M

Malpractice: Malpractice is anything which is a breach of the JCQ regulations or which compromises the integrity of any qualification or the validity of an examination result or certificate. This malpractice can occur in the course of any exam or assessment, including the preparation and authentication of any coursework, the presentation of any practical work, the compilation of portfolios of assessment evidence, and the writing of any exam paper. There are serious penalties for students involved in Malpractice – see the section called Penalties.

Mobile Telephones & other Electronic Equipment: Mobile telephones, Smart Watches and other electronic equipment are not allowed to be used in any examination or when being supervised as a ‘Clash Student ’.The school and awarding bodies’ regulations forbid you to bring in any of these devices into an examination room or any room being used for clash students supervision, either before or after an examination. You are strongly advised not to bring these devices with you on examination days. If you do bring in a device, it must be switched off and placed in your bag before you enter the examination room. This will be checked by a member of staff before you enter each exam room. You must show a member of staff that your mobile phone is completely switched off before you enter the room, then place it in your bag. If you do not have a bag, hand the device to the invigilator. If a mobile telephone, or other electronic device is found in your possession in an examination – even if it is turned off – it will be taken from you and a report made to the appropriate awarding body. Awarding bodies operate a no-tolerance policy on all students discovered to be in breach of regulations and have advised the school that students discovered to have a communications device with them during an examination or whilst being supervised as a ‘Clash Student’ face disqualification. In addition, the Headteacher is likely to take action against you under the school’s disciplinary procedures. Please do not risk disqualification: either leave your mobile telephone at home, put your bag in your locker or hand it in to the invigilators.

Meeting Point

You will be told where to meet prior to each examination – this is usually in the canteen.

N

Names: Exam entries are made using your legal forname and surname. This is the name shown on your birth certificate / passport. You must use this name on all of your exam papers and answer booklets – do not write the name you prefer to be called, or are used to being called at school on any of your examination papers. The name you should use and write on any examination papers will be printed on your candidate desk card.

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O

Overnight supervision: If you have examinations totalling more than 5 ½ hours if you are a GCSE student and as a last resort because there is no other reasonable alternative, you will be required to be kept under supervision by your parents until the following morning when you will sit the rest of your examination. You will not be able to be in possession of any device that can connected to the internet or have any contact with the outside world (including watching television). A parental declaration form must be completed in the presence of the Headteacher and Exam Officer 7 days before the examination in question should this situation ever occur.

P

Penalties: JCQ can issue the following penalties for malpractice, depending on the offence that was committed: 1. Warning 2. Loss of all the marks gained for a single piece of coursework 3. Loss of all the marks gained for a component 4. Loss off all marks gained for a unit 5. Disqualification from the unit 6. Loss of all the marks gained from all components/units in all qualifications taken during the exam series. 7. Disqualification from the whole qualification 8. Disqualification from all qualifications taken in that exam series 9. Barred from entering for one or more examinations for a set period of time. The table shows the types of offences for possession of a mobile phone and what number penalty you may be awarded as a result.

Offence Warning (Penalty 1)

Loss of marks (Aggregation still permitted) (Penalty 2-4)

Loss of certification opportunity (Penalties 5-10)

Mobile Phones

In the Examination or Clash room but not in the students possession, and rings or beeps

In the students possession, but no evidence of being used or being active

In the students possession and evidence of it being used or active (rings, beeps, used as calculator)

Plagiarism: There are many definitions of plagiarism, but they all have in common the idea of taking someone else’s intellectual effort and presenting it as one’s own. The JCQ’s Guidelines for Dealing with Instances of Suspected Malpractice defines plagiarism as: “The failure to acknowledge sources properly and/or the submission of another person’s work as if it were the student’s own.”

Pencil Cases: If you wish to bring a pencil case into the exam room, it must be made of clear plastic. No written material can be on or inside this.

Prohibited Material: These items must not be brought into any examination room: • books (unless set texts for specific examinations in which case post-it notes and excessive annotations are not permitted) all

books will be checked prior to the exam beginning)

• calculator cases/Lids or instruction books

• glasses cases

• mobile telephones, or other electronic devices

• notes, letters, diaries or other printed material

• pencil cases (use a transparent plastic bag as a substitute)

• personal stereos of any description

• Smart Watches / MP3/4 players

Q

Quarantine – (for Clash Students) If you are required to go into quarantine over a lunch period, you must bring a packed lunch and a drink with you on that day as you will not be allowed to use the canteen. Mobile telephones, pagers and electronic devices are not allowed into any quarantine room. You will be notified on your clash form of your quarantine arrangements. You will be supervised immediately after your examination until the end of your quarantine period. In quarantine, you may revise for your next examination or talk quietly with fellow students.

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R

Readers: Students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities may be entitled to a reader. A reader is someone that will read information from the exam paper and your own written work back to you when requested. They are not allowed to explain what anything means.

Results: Students may collect their results from Patcham on last Thursday of August. Details of times and specific dates each year will be notified to all students. Results will not be handed to a 3rd party unless written permission is given to them by you and brought in on the day to collect your results. You can email Mrs Richardson (trichardson@patchamhigh.org.uk) during the Summer Term and ask for the results to be emailed to you or your parents. Results not collected will be posted home at the end of that day.

Review of Marks (ROMs): Awarding bodies offer the option of having a script reviewed (for a fee) if a student or member of teaching staff is unhappy with the mark that has been achieved. A full review by the awarding body means that a different (senior) examiner reviews the first examiners marking against the mark scheme to ensure it has been correctly applied. The paper is not remarked. These reviews are costly and often do not result in extra marks being awarded. It is important to consider the following before making a request: Are you close to the grade boundary? Reviews rarely result in more than 1 or 2 extra marks being awarded - if any at all. If you are very close to a higher grade boundary a review may be worth considering but if not, it is unlikely to result in a higher grade. Your grade can go down as well as up Reviews mean having your entire paper reviewed therefore your mark and grade may go down as well as up. If your grade does go down, you cannot refuse the new grade and ask for the original higher grade to stand. You must be aware that this is the chance you take when asking for a review. Cost Reviews are expensive and the likelihood is that your mark will not change. If you want to request a review you must complete the relevant forms that you will be given with your results. This must then be completed and returned to the Exam Officer with your payment by the stated deadline.

S

Seating Plans: You are not allowed to change desks from the desk that has been allocated to you on the seating plan.

Scribe: A person who writes down what a student dictates when the student is unable to write. Permission is required from an awarding body in advance, though it can be given at short notice for unexpected accidents. The Scribe can also Word Process a student’s answers.

Source Referencing: Students must acknowledge sources from which they have accessed information whilst undertaking controlled assessment/coursework. This must include detailed references (web page, author, page numbers etc.) of any source material. (Also see Plagiarism).

Special Consideration: The awarding bodies will not apply special consideration for anything other than serious reasons. Special consideration can only be applied for if a significant event has affected your performance on the day of the examination and you can provide appropriate evidence. Please see the Exam Officer immediately after your exam if you feel that you may have been affected by a circumstance beyond your control.

Statements of Entry: Produced by the school, statements of entry list all the exam units that you are entered for in a particular examination series. You will be given this well before the exam season starts. It is essential that you check all details on these statements very carefully to ensure that: a) you have been entered for the right examinations – in particular if there are different tiers available. b) all of your personal details are correct, in particular with regards to spelling, as this information will be printed on your examination certificates. Whilst it will be relatively simple to change before the examinations start, once certificates have been issued substantial costs will be involved if you notice any errors.

Study Leave: There is no fixed period of study leave during the summer. Students will be expected in class until exams in that subject are finished.

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T

Text Messages: Are used to contact students with important information. Please ensure that you have told us your own mobile number, and that if you change it you come to the Exams Office to make sure it is updated on our system.

Times: All examinations at this school commence at the time shown on your individual timetable (between 8:00 am and 9.30 am (morning papers) and 1.00pm – 2:00 pm (afternoon papers). You should be waiting and ready to enter the examination room at least 15 minutes before the published starting time. If you arrive one hour after the published start time for examinations you will not be permitted to sit the examination.

Timetables: You will be given your own personal timetable for Mock and Summer exams. Please check your personal timetable carefully – the top copy of your examinations timetables has been produced by the Exams Office and is personal to you only. This will include changes of times/days to accommodate any clashes. If there are any errors (e.g. name, date of birth, sex, examination entry), please notify the Exam Officer immediately. Dates are given on the timetable(s) issued to you. Check carefully to see if the examination is in the morning or the afternoon – entry may not be permitted if you are late. Take special note of any re-arrangements due to a timetable clash. You are responsible for checking your examination timetable. If you have any queries then please contact the Exam Officer immediately. Mock Examinations in November and February. All students will sit Mock exams in all subjects that they are studying in November and February. These are a valuable experience for both staff and students to check what level of progress has been achieved. The Provisional exam timetable is published on the School Website and will be updated and finalised during the year.

Toilet breaks: Students are not permitted to leave the examination room to use the toilet, unless they have a medical reason to do so. No breaks are ever allowed in the first 30 minutes or last 15 minutes of an exam. Ensure you have visited the toilet before your exam.

U

UCI Number: UCI (unique Candidate identifier) number is a number which every student is given and is used to link all entries and results for a student across an exam series and between different exam boards and centres. It is important that you give the number you were given at school to the college when you enrol. It can be found on your timetable, and your certificates/result slips.

ULN Number: A ULN (unique learner number) is a 10-digit number allocated to learners which will be theirs for life. Each learner will need a ULN so that they and educational providers, government agencies and awarding bodies can follow their learning progress.

Uniform: Students must wear full Patcham High School uniform to all exams. Failure to wear full and correct uniform will result in you not being allowed to sit your exam. This applies until your last exam paper.

V

Valuables: Students must leave valuables (including calculators, keys, credit cards, cash or mobile telephones, smart watches) at home or in their bags in their lockers. If you choose to take your bag into the examination room to the designated storage area. Patcham takes no responsibility for valuables that go missing should a student chose to bring them into school during exams.

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W

Warning: All the awarding bodies make it clear that:

• Their official examination sessions must be run under strict conditions, with no form of deception. This rule includes any form of communication between students during an examination, as well as any other practice that could conceivably be seen as an attempt to deceive.

• Anyone attempting unfair practices can expect cancellation of examination entries and possible exclusion from GCSE/AS and A2 level examinations for a period of up to five years. (see Cheating, Malpractice, Penalties and Plagiarism).

Wrist Watches: You are currently allowed to bring a wrist watch into the exam room, (but NOT a Smart Watch).However this must be taken off your wrist and placed on the desk so that it is clearly visible to the invigilators. Word of Advice: Remember to have something to eat and drink before taking your examinations, especially on hot days. Food will be available to purchase from 8am in the canteen. Remember to bring a clear bottle of water into the exam with you so that you do not become dehydrated. A banana eaten half an hour before the start of an exam can boost your concentration levels.

Word Processors: Students who have been granted the use of a word processor in their written exams will use a school computer that has had spell check/grammar removed as a condition of the JCQ Adjustments for Candidates with Disabilities and Learning Difficulties Regulations. You will print your paper at the end of your exam, and must check it and sign this to say it is your paper before handing this back to the invigilator.

X

X mark on your results: These are given if you were absent for the examination, or component paper, or withdrawn after the entry had been made.

Important JCQ Student Notices

All of the JCQ notices that you should read and be aware of can be found here, together with Exam Timetables, this student handbook and notices about exam days. https://www.patchamhigh.brighton-hove.sch.uk/schoolinformation/exams/ These include:

If you have any queries about your exams, get in touch with Mrs Richardson in the Exams Office.

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